Helter Skelter II
by RussianWolf7
Summary: This is the sequel to my earlier fic, Helter Skelter, but can also stand alone. I don't want to say too much, but it's very sad. Bittersweet, sort of. Starts with Holly having a miscarrige and goes from there.


Disclaimer: Nope. Not mine. All belong to Eoin Colfer.

At last! Here it is! The much anticipated sequel to Helter Skelter!

Note: Very sad. Possible character deaths, though I'm not going to let you know what's going to happen until the very end.

All day long Holly had been feeling strange. She had gone to work as usual, but hadn't been able to concentrate. Her hand rested almost constantly on her stomach, which was large enough for everyone to notice. She glanced at her clock yet again. Five-ten. Still a couple of hours until she could leave at seven-thirty.

She sighed and moved her chair closer to the desk so she could get some work done when a searing bolt of pain hit her stomach. She couldn't help letting out a shriek as her hair involuntarily snapped back. When it passed a few seconds later, she took a shakey breath and called Foaly.

"Yeah?" he answered, his reply muffled round a mouthful of carrots.

"Foaly, I gotta go," Holly said in a weak voice. "Can you make sure everything runs smoothly? If you need anything, call Julius."

"Holly?" Foaly asked nervously. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," she answered, though she had an awful suspicion that she knew exactly what was wrong.

"Do you need any help?" Foaly asked.

"No, I'm fi-" Another flash of pain hit her and she drew in a sharp breath, using all of her energy not to scream.

"I'm gonna come up to your office to make sure you don't do anything stupid and then call Root," Foaly said and hung up.

Holly put the phone back in the cradle and put both hands over her stomach, silently praying that her baby was ok. She closed her eyes, but could tell it was Foaly coming into her office a few minutes later by the clop of his hoofs.

"You awake?" he asked her nervously.

"Mmmhmm," Holly replied without bothering to open her eyes.

"Is Root speed dialled into your phone?"

"Number two," she answered.

Foaly quickly dialled, using speakerphone so he and Holly could talk.

"Root," he answered after the fourth ring.

"It's Foaly," Foaly said. "I think that you need to take Holly to the hospital."

"Is she ok?" Root barked.

"I don't know," Foaly said nervously.

"Can I talk to her?"

"I'm right here," Holly said quietly.

"Are you alright?" Root asked nervously.

"I don't know," Holly repeated, then added, "No. I think that I'm fine. I think that the baby isn't."

Root sighed deeply before saying, "I'll be right there," and hanging up.

Foaly looked at Holly anxiously. "Do you want me to call an ambulance?"

"No. I want Julius." Her voice was getting weaker and weaker.

"Holly, I really think that I should get an ambulance."

"No!" The sudden strength in her voice made Foaly feel a little better, though not much. Holly opened her eyes to stare into Foaly's golden ones. "Foaly, I can tell that the baby's gone. There's nothing doctor's can do to fix that. I know I still have to go to the hospital, but I want it to be just me and Julius. It's more-" She broke off abruptly as another flash of pain stuck her.

Foaly laid a hand on her shoulder. "It's ok. I can't say I know exactly what you mean, but I think I get the gist of it."

Holly grabbed a tissue and spit a small mouthful of blood into it. "I'm fine," she said at the look on Foaly's face. "I just bit my cheek too hard."

Foaly sighed in relief and was about to say something when Root walked in. Holly smiled weakly at him.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

"There's nothing to apologize about," Root said gently as he walked over to her. "How do you feel?"

"Exhausted. And cold."

"When's the ambulance going to get here?" Root asked Foaly.

"Uhhh . . ."

"There isn't one," Holly mumbled.

Root sighed in aggravation. "Foaly, call one while I find a blanket," he said and left, all but slamming the door behind him.

Foaly quickly did so, ignoring Holly's weakening protests.

By the time Root got back, Holly was unconscious. "Shit," he swore under his breath, gently covering her with the blanket and gently stroked her forehead, which was burning. "Did you call an ambulance?" Root asked.

"Yeah," Foaly replied. "Do you think she'll be ok?" he asked. "I know she said it was just her baby, but-"

"I don't know, Foaly," Root snapped. "And you're not helping anything by pacing around. I'm just as nervous as you are, if not more so."

Neither of them said anything until the ambulance came around five minutes later when they had a brief argument about who went with her. It was quickly settled by the EMT who said that only family could come.

The ride to the hospital was short and tense. The paramedics were quickly hooking Holly up to various machines, including one that looked like it was giving her blood, which confused Root until he saw the quickly spreading red stain on her pants (the EMTs had removed the blanket). Root took Holly's hand and gently squeezed it before one of the paramedics told him to move out of the way.

Once they got to the hospital, Root had to wait in the waiting room, despite his protests. Instead he paced the room nervously, shortly joined by Foaly. They didn't say anything, knowing that there wasn't anything to be said until the doctors told them something. Anything.

It was an hour before a doctor finally came out. He walked over to Root.

"Are you Julius Root?" he asked.

"Yeah. Is she going to be ok?" Root asked nervously.­

"I'm afraid I have some bad news. Would you like to come into my office?"

"I'd like to see my wife!" Root shouted.

"Sir, please calm down," the doctor said. "You can't see her right now, but-"

"Why the hell not?"

"Mr Root, if you would please come into my office, I'll explain."

Root opened his mouth to continue yelling, but Foaly laid a hand on his arm. "I think you should do what he says," he said softly.

Root closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Fine. But afterwards I want to see her."

The doctor didn't say anything, just led Root into his office and sat down behind the desk. The last Root wanted was to sit down, but he forced himself to.

"What's wrong with her?" Root asked, suddenly very afraid. The last time he had been in a doctor's office like this was when he was told that his mother was dying of cancer.

"Are you familiar with the term mystica scinious?" the doctor, who's name plate said he was Doctor Viktor Skye, asked.

"No."

"Literally translated, it means mysterious science. It's a sort of generic term for diseases we don't understand."

"So you don't know what's going on, do you." It wasn't a question.

"No."

"But she's going to be ok, right?" Root asked uneasily.

"We don't know," Doctor Skye said.

Root didn't say anything. He was too busy processing the information that Holly was most likely dying. He had been around hospitals long enough to know what maybe means when associated with something that was unknown meant. "Can I see her now?" he asked in a choked voice.

"I suppose so, but I'm warning you that she doesn't look very good," Skye said and led Root to her room.

"He was right," Root thought to himself. "She doesn't look good." Holly was pale, almost pasty, and seemed impossibly thin, though he wasn't sure how she could've lost so much weight in the two hours it took for her to get here until he realized that it was because of the baby she'd lost.

Holly smiled weakly at him. "Hey," she said softy.

Root didn't say anything, just took her hand in his and squeezed it tightly.

"Julius, it's ok. Don't cry, please. We can try again, once I'm out of the hospital."

"Oh, god," he thought frantically. "They didn't tell her?"

"They did," Holly said.

Root blinked. He hadn't realized that he had said that out loud.

"But it's my body, and I feel fine," she assured him. "A little worn out, very sad, but they never said I couldn't have anymore children. Never believe doctors."

"Holly," he started but had to stop because he was crying too hard. She sat up and opened her arms to him. He came gratefully, sliding onto the bed and leaning his head on her breasts while she stroked his hair, whispering comforting things. Eventually he managed to get himself together enough to sit up and wipe away his tears so he could look Holly in the eyes.

"I'm fine," she assured him. "Really. Everything will be ok."

"That's what Nichkola said," Root muttered under his breath.

"What?" Holly asked.

"That's what Nikki said," he repeated, louder this time. "When she had a miscarriage."

"She did too?" Holly asked in amazement. Root nodded. "I'm so sorry," she said softly. "But if you think about it, her death had nothing to do with her death."­

"She didn't end up being able to have any children, though," Root replied.

"Well I'm not her," Holly replied. "Can I ask you something about her pregnancy?" Root nodded again. "Was she pregnant when you got married?"

"Umm, well, yes. Why?" Root asked, surprised.

"I was just wondering why her dress fit me," Holly answered.

"Oh."

"Julius?"

He grunted.

There were a few moments of silence before Holly asked nervously, "Will you always love me? No matter what?"

Root looked up from his hands. "Oh, Holly, of courses." He gathered her into his arms and held on tightly. "Nothing could stop me from loving you. Never, ever forget that." Holly started crying, shaking in his arms.

"I lied." Her words were almost inaudible among her tears and with her face pressed against his shirt. "I don't feel fine. I feel awful. I feel like my body is slowly . . . I don't know. Giving out on me. I was expecting this when I get old, but I'm only a hundred and twenty."

"It'll be ok, I promise you. The doctors will figure out what's going on and there'll be a cure. I promise," Root told her, tightening his hold on her.

"No. You're wrong." She said some more, but Root couldn't understand her anymore. He was crying too hard himself.

"I love you," he eventually said. "So much. I could never possibly tell you how much I love you."

"I love you, too," Holly said, which only made them cry harder. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door. Root let her go, both of them wiping tears away. "Come in," Holly said in a choked voice.

Foaly came in and sat down in the chair that Root had been in. "Bad news, I take it?" he asked.

Holly nodded, but turned to Root to explain.

"The doctor's don't know what's wrong," Root said hollowly. "And they don't know if she's going to live or not."

"I'm not," Holly said. "I can tell."

Foaly paled. "You don't know that for sure," he said in an unnaturally high voice. "You could be fine."

Holly shook her head. "No."

Foaly could feel tears welling up but refused to let them fall for Holly's sake. "You might be wrong . . ."

"Please believe me," Holly replied. "Please, Foaly."

He took a shakey breath. "Do you know how long you have?"

"No." Holly yawned. "I'm really tired. Right now all I want to do is sleep."

"Ok," Root said and he and Foaly left, leaving Holly to sleep.

They had been in the waiting room for about two hours before Doctor Skye came out to see them.

"We ran some more tests," he said. "And while we still don't know what's wrong with her, we did figure out something more."

"Please let it be good," Root thought silently to himself. "What?" he said out loud.

"Mrs Short has about a year left to live."

Root didn't know if Skye said anything else or not. Everything stopped. Grey swirled in front of his eyes as his mind shut itself down until he could process the information that Holly Elizabeth Short, his wife, his love, his everything, was dying.

Well, there it is. I was crying while I wrote that but I had to stop so my keyboard wouldn't get too wet. I hope you like it. And yes, there will be lots more.

8


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